New Eden: Live to Play, Play to Live

Chapter 660 Reaching The Op-Site

As Alfred drove off the island of Montreal and onto the northern shore, toward the burgs, he kept throwing glances at Alexander in the mirror. But the young man simply looked out the window and remained silent.

He decided to cut the silence before they reached their destination.

"You know, son. There is no need for you to get involved. We have a team ready and don't need to get you involved. Even if Mr. Bellemare said you should, I can tell him you did, while you wait in the car."

Alexander looked into the mirror, his face stoic.

And with a loud sigh, he replied.

"Thank you, Alfred. Your words mean a lot. But I am not letting anyone go in there aside from me. This is my mess to clean, and my payback to get. You and your men can stay outside."

Although he sounded genuinely happy that Alfred had offered him to stay back, his face still displayed no emotion. It was like an alabaster mask, still and cold.

Alfred didn't know what had caused the young man to become so cold and comfortable ending lives. He knew this wasn't the first time, but it also felt different.

Like something was stretching thin within his character.

"Very well. Have it your way, son. I won't stand in your way, and my men won't either."

Alfred didn't want to let his men anywhere near someone with this look. Even though he had been to war, and his men had seen dark shit, killing should always bring sorrow.

One should not take lightly to reaping a life. They weren't gods, after all.

Who were they to decide who lived and who died?

Once they arrived close to the domain in which the Bianchi residence was located, the car stopped behind a large black bus, surrounded by small black vans.

"We're here," Alfred said.

Alexander nodded before opening the door and stepping out of the sedan. He looked around, seeing the gate not too far ahead, and started walking towards it.

A woman in military gear saw him walk past them and called out to him.

"Excuse me, sir! This area is off-limits right now!"

The young man didn't even turn his head to look at her and kept walking. So another of her colleagues stepped in front of the young man.

"Hey, boy. The woman said the area is off-limits. Walk away, while you still can walk on your own two legs."

Alex stopped and glared at the man. His eyes dug deep into the mercenary's soul, as if trying to reach the confines of his being.

Alfred stepped out of the car at the same time. But before he could tell his men that Alexander was cleared for the op, Alex's arm slammed into the man, knocking him aside like a baseball off a bat.

The other mercs started raising their weapons, and pointing them at Alex, yelling at him to get down on his knees, until Alfred shouted, "Alright, that's enough! Everyone stand down! Now!"

He looked at Alexander as he said this, as it was also directed at him.

"I thought you said your men wouldn't get in my way," Alex said, his tone icy.

With a sigh, Alfred responded, "You didn't give me time to explain the situation to him. Get on the bus, son. We have images to show you before you barge in."

Alex sneered in impatience but did as Alfred asked. He owed him that much respect.

The mercenaries all lowered their weapons, looking at the young man with a tinge of fear. Especially the one that had been knocked off his feet so easily.

Even with his gear on, he felt the blow, like someone had slammed a metal pipe into his abdomen while swinging from a moving car. He wasn't sure if he hadn't broken a rib, with how the pain in his chest was pulsing.

Alexander climbed onto the bus, followed by Alfred, where they found a multitude of screens on one side, with half a dozen techies working their hands away on their keyboards, in a symphony of clickety-clacks.

At the end of the bus, working on a small laptop, her eyes zooming from left to right, was Katherine Bellemare.

Alex paused for a second.

"Why are you here, Katherine?" he asked.

Alfred elbowed him in the ribs as he passed next to him.

"Ahem. That's Ms. Bellemare, for you. Have some respect."

Alexander glared at him, but did nothing, as Katherine raised her hand.

"Let him be, Alfred. As a friend of the family and someone who doesn't work for us, he can call me by my name."

Alex grinned at Alfred as the old man scoffed and sat down in a free chair.

"Can I get an answer to my question?" Alex asked.

"Yes, in a moment," Katherine replied, her finger raised.

She droned on her keyboard like a madwoman for a few more seconds and then closed the top.

"There, all done. To answer your question, Alexander, I am here to help you. You can consider my presence to be akin to your master key inside the Bianchi residence. I will make sure no door bars your way, and that no system boots up to keep you from reaching your destination."

Alex looked at her with a cocked eyebrow.

"Then what are these guys here for?" he asked, pointing at the techies.

"These gentlemen and women are here to make sure the grid in the entire domain doesn't come on and ruin our secret op. They will scrub all traces of us ever being here on the network, and a cleanup crew will make sure no physical evidence remains afterward, as well."

The preparation was so complete, from what Alex could garner, that it seemed highly unlikely that this was a first-time occurrence for her.

But he wasn't about to barge into her business.

"Then why did you need me in here? If you have all planned, can't I just barge in and fuck shit up?" Alex asked.

Katherine shook her finger sideways, clicking her tongue like chiding a child.

"Young man. You can't just barge into a secure location and 'Fuck shit up', as you say. Planning is an important step in any operation."

Alex chuckled lightly, feeling his body relax a bit at a thought he had.

"I would love to introduce you to Kary. I feel like the two of you would hit it off instantly."

Katherine smiled at him while walking toward the front of the bus where he stood.

"Clear the main screen for me, Timothy," she ordered the tech at the front-most of the bus.

"Yes, Ma'am," he chimed while tapping a few keys rapidly.

After he pressed enter, the large screen overhead of the techies turned black, and then, on it, appeared some plans. Blueprints to the mansion of the Bianchi family.

"Let us get started, shall we?" Katherine said, smiling at Alexander.